People with Parkinson's disease usually have substantially impaired balance, leading to diminished functional ability and an increased risk of falling. Although exercise is routinely encouraged by health care providers, few programs have been proven effective. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted by the Oregon Research Institute, with funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to determine whether a tailored Tai Chi program could improve postural control in sufferers of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. All trial participants undertook 60-minute ...  read more

Scientists from the University of South Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai found increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking in Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, reports an article published June 19 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. The findings were based on an 8-month randomized control trial comparing those who practiced Tai Chi to a group who did not. The trial also showed increases in brain volume and cognitive ...  read more

A study was carried out in 2007 to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi on resting and vaccine-stimulated levels of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to varicella zoster virus (VZV), and on health functioning in older adults. The trial was conducted over 25 weeks, and at week 16 participants were vaccinated with VARIVAX, the live attenuated Oka/Merck VZV vaccine licensed to prevent varicella. The Tai Chi group showed higher levels of VZV-CMI than the health education control group, with a significant rate ...  read more

Tai chi exercise may improve quality of life, mood, and exercise self-efficacy (belief in one’s own abilities) in people with chronic heart failure, according to a 2011 study funded in part by NCCAM. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital evaluated exercise capacity, quality of life, physical activity, and mood in 100 people with chronic heart failure. The researchers found that the participants in the tai chi group had ...  read more

Regular Tai Chi Chuan exercise improves T cell helper function of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with an increase in T-bet transcription factor and IL-12 production. Tai Chi exercises can improve the control of type 2 diabetes, suggests a small study. The research team assessed the impact of a 12 week programme of Tai Chi exercises on the T helper cell activity of 30 patients with type 2 diabetes and 30 healthy people of the same age. T cells ...  read more

A study recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found that almost one-third of Australians aged over 65 engage in no leisure time physical activity at all. Furthermore, the researchers found that while a lot of Seniors engage in walking and similar aerobic activities, which are beneficial to heart health, very few (less than 3%) were doing enough to improve strength, coordination and balance. The big issue is to find out why. Lead author of the ...  read more

This is a fantastic article by Michelle Bridges – Author and Biggest Loser trainer published in The Sunday Age Magazine, June 26 2011. It talks all about the reason why it's so important for us to warm up before exercise. "Warming up before exercising will prepare your entire body for the physical task ahead, say Michelle Bridges. I love watching people warm up before a fun run. It’s like a weird dance routine: jumps, knee raises, running on the spot, ...  read more